Water-cooled valve for blast furnace stoves



May 7, 1968 H. B. CARR 3,381,702

WATER-COOLED VALVE FOR BLAST FU RNACE STOVES Filed Dec. 6, 1965 5Sheets-Sheet llll n "1' H. B. CARR 3,381,702,

WATER-COOLED VALVE FOR BLAST FURNACE STOVES.

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May 7, 1968 H. B. CARR 3,381,702

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ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,381,702 WATER-COOLED VALVE FOR BLAST FURNACESTOVES Hugh B. Carr, Carnegie, Pa., assignor to S. P. Kinney Engineers,Inc., Carnegie, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Dec. 6, 1965,Ser. No. 511,602 Claims. (Cl. 137340) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Thisapplication pertains to a water-cooled valve designed particularly foruse with the burners of blast furnace stoves. The valve body isfabricated from sections which are welded together. The valve gate seatsagainst valve rings held in the body by wedges which, at the lowerquadrant of the valve body, are in the form of integral webs, and which,in the diametrically-opposite sides of the valve body and at the top ofthe valve rings are removable when the bonnet of the valve is removed.Upon removal of the last two mentioned wedging elements, the rings maybe lifted out through the open top of the body.

This invention is for a water-cooled valve designed for use particularlywith the burners for blast furnace stoves, as for example, with theburner disclosed in patent to S. P. Kinney, No. 3,086,592, granted Apr.23, 1963.

In the operation of a conventional blast furnace stove, fuel gas and airare supplied to a burner and the burning gas travels up the combustionchamber of the stove and hot products of combustion then travel throughthe checker brick of the stove. When the stove is put on blast and airunder pressure is blown through the stove, the burner port and burnermust be closed against the backfiow of air through the burner. There maybe variations of this arrangement, but the function of the burner valveis to seal the stove against the backfiow of air when the stove is onblast.

In the environment in which the valve is used, it is desirable that itbe water-cooled, and it is further desirable that the valve be soconstructed that all normal service and repairs can be made while thevalve stays in the line, that is, the repairs can be made Withoutremoving the valve from the burner. To a certain extent the valve is amodification of the double disk valve of my application Ser. No.344,319, filed Feb. 12, 1964, now Patent No. 3,266,517 granted Aug. 16,1966.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a water-cooledburner valve having a single valve disk, the valve being of uniqueconstruction with a water-cooled body, a water-cooled seat ringremovable through the valve body upon removal of the bonnet, and awatercooled valve disk, also removable from the valve upon removal ofthe bonnet.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a valve wherein thevalve body may be fabricated by welding the various parts.

These and other objects and advantages are secured by this invention, aswill become hereinafter more fully apparent to those skilled in the art.

The invention may be more fully understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation of the valve looking at the downstream ordischarge side; 7

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the valve shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view generally similar to FIG. 1 but on a larger scale andpartly in section and partly in elevation to show the interior of thestructure at one side of the vertical center line;

3,381,702 Patented May 7, 1968 ice FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG. 3 alsopartly in section and partly in elevation;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the valve body itself with a bonnet andseating ring removed, the figure being a broken section generally in theplane of line VV of FIG. 6;

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view with parts shown in section, the sectionbeing in the plane of line VI-VI of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a front elevation of the wedging frame removed from the valvebody;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the wedging frame; and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged detail sectional view through the bottom portionof the valve body, the view being a section in the plane of line IXIX ofFIG. 3.

Referring to the drawings in detail, they show a valve body fabricatedby shaping and welding metal plates, as contrasted with the more commoncast metal construction. The valve body comprises a central plate bentto a generally U-shaped form, with a half-circular lower portion 2 andupwardly-extending parallel sides 3 which extend tangentially from thecurved bottom portion. This plate is disposed between two confrontingspaced transverse inner plates 4 and 5, each shaped to the contour ofthe body plate with a half-circular lower portion and upward extensions4a and 5a, respectively. Each of the plates 4 and 5 has a circular port4b and 5b respectively therethrough. These metal parts, welded together,form a generally U-shaped enclosure with a circular passagewaytherethrough and with a vertically-extending chamber 6 which isrectangular in horizontal section with the long axis of the rectanglebeing transverse to the passage through the ports. This part of thestructure constitutes an intermediate section between two tubularsections to be next described.

Extending axially from the outer face of each of the inner plates 4 and5 are short cylindrical tubular inner sections 7 and 8, respectively.Welded to the outer end of each of these sections are flange plates orannuli 9 and 10, respectively, for connecting the valve body into thetubular burner sections (not shown). Concentric about and spaced fromthe inner tubular sections are outer tubular sections 11 and 12respectively, which are also welded to the outer faces of the plates 4and 5 respectively, and to the annuli 11 and 12 respectively. There arethus provided two annular water-circulating spaces 13 and 14respectively, one around each tubular end section of the valve body.There is a transverse wall 15 across each of these spaces, and there isa pipe nipple 16 in the outer cylindrical wall of each space near thiswall or partition for cooling water inlet pipes (not shown), and nearthe opposite sides of the partitions 15 are water outlet nipples 17.Spaced connecting plates 18 are positioned around the exterior of thevalve body and welded thereto both to brace it and provide heatdissipating fins.

The radius of the cylindrical sections 7 and 8 is substantially the fulldiameter of the openings 4b and 5b in the plates 4 and 5, respectively,but the semi-circular portion 2 of the central plate is curved about alarger radius, so that there is a channel-like recess or offset 19between the inner ends of the cylindrical sections 7 and 8. There is aseating ring 20 that is inserted into the valve body through therectangular top portion 6 and which sets into this offset or channel. Itis in the form of a hollow annulus with the opening 21 therethrough ofthe same diameter as the inside diameter of the cylindrical bodyportions 7 and 8. Its radius is greater than the cylindrical body 8against which it bears, but less than the radius of the curved portion2, or its diameter is less than the width of the space 6 in therectangular extension of the body as hereinbefore described. In one sideface it has an annular gasket 22 that bears against the inner end of thecylindrical body member 8. This gasket is of a heat-resistant material,and because it is between two water-cooled surfaces, silicone rubber ispreferably used. The hollow passageway 23 in the seating ring is blockedat the bottom by a transverse wall or partition 24. There is a pipenipple 25 in the periphery of the ring at each side of this partitioninto one of which is screwed the end of a cooling water inlet pipe 26and into the other a water outlet pipe 27, the arrangement thereforebeing such that the cooling water must travel practically entirelyaround the interior of the hollow seat ring from the inlet to theoutlet. There are sleeves 26a and 27a through which pipes 26 and 27,respectively, pass, with glands at their lower ends to prevent theescape of gas from the valve around pipes 26 and 27. When the valve seatis raised out of the body for repair or replacement, these sleevesprovide a guide in the body in which the pipes 26 and 27 slide so thatthey always remain in position to enable the seat to be readilyloweredand replaced inside the valve body. For jamming the lower portionof the seating ring against the end of the cylindrical body section 8,there are fixed wedge plates 28 in the channel 18 which extend part wayacross the channel, and which are of increasing width downwardly so thatas the seat ring is pushed down into position, it is wedged to the rightby these plates as shown in FIG. 9. There are preferably three of thefixed wedge plates, one at each side of the longitudinal center plane ofthe valve body, and one at the central plane.

In addition to this, the seating ring has diametrically opposed camelements 2.9 thereon, one at each side of the ring, and to one side ofthe central transverse plane of the ring. A sleeve 30 passes through thesides of the valve body adjacent these cams. There is a rotatablyadjustable stud 31 in each sleeve with an eccentric inner end thatcontacts the adjacent cam element 29 as the seat is forced into place,thereby exerting increasing pressure against the ring to jam it againstthe end of the cylindrical section 8. The stud may be adjusted from timeto time by rotating it to a position to exert a positive thrust againstthe ring.

In addition to the foregoing, the top of the ring has a cam 32 ofdownwardly-increasing width at each side of the vertical center line.There is a wedging frame 33 inside the chamber 6 having a vertical plate34 with a lower edge that straddles the top of the seating ring, andwhich has a beveled edge 35 that cooperates with the cams 32 for forcingthe top of the seating ring against the end of cylindrical section 8when the frame is forced down. The plate 34, which is parallel withplate 5, has wings or thrust strips 36 at each end that bear against theinner surface of plate 4 to resist the lateral thrust against the plate34.

At the top of the rectangular extension enclosing the space 6 there is aperipheral flange 37 on which sets a bonnet 38 that is removably boltedand sealed to the flange and the interior 39 of which forms with thechamber 6 a continuous chamber or space into which the valve disk, to behereinafter described, is raised when the valve is open. This bonnet hasjack-screws 37 at its base that bear against an offset 33a on thewedging frame for forcing and holding the wedging frame down.

There is a circuilar valve disk 40 of slightly smaller diameter than theseating ring 20 which is hollow with interior bafiies therein. It has astem at the top comprising an outer tube 41 that extends up through apacking on the top of the bonnet, and which constitutes a water outletpipe, and an inner water inlet pipe 42 of smaller diameter extendingcoaxially thereof and projecting into the lower portion of the hollowdisk. There is a combined water supply and outlet fitment to therespective pipes and operating connection 43 at the top of the stern.This connection includes studs 44 at each side of the fitment over eachof which is the end of an operating link arrangement 45, these linkshaving their lower ends connected to a lever 46 that is raised andlowered selectively by motor of a hand-operated chain drive assembly 47.This arrangement is known in the art, being generally shown in Patent3,113,589, granted Dec. 10, 1963. The drive is mounted on a bracketextending upwardly from the valve body. Through the operation of thisdrive and linkage the valve disk may be raised from a closed positionwhere it is against the seating ring, which is the upstream side of theburner valve, to an open position where the disk is drawn up intothechamber inside the vertical extension of the valve body and the bonnet.The wings or thrust elements 36 on the wedge frame are sufiiciently farapart that they do not interfere with the valve disk when it is raisedto full open position.

When the bonnet is loosened it may be raised and the valve disk liftedclear of the body. The wedging frame 33 may be removed, after which theseating ring may be removed for inspection, repair or replacement.

In the bottom of the curved body plate portion 2 are two clean-out sumpsor wells 50, one at each side of the vertical center line as viewed inFIG. 3. Each well has a removable bottom plate 51 bolted thereto, andeach bottom plate has a nipple 52 which is normally capped, but to whicha tube or pipe may be connected for either injecting or draining waterto flush sediment from the valve, particularly the channel 19 below theseating ring and valve disk.

This valve is normally placed in the burner between the discharge end ofthe burner and the air and gas supply lines. It is open at all times theburner is operating, but when the stove is on blast the valve is closedand the pressure in the stove urge the disk against the seating ring. Bymachining the inner end of the cylindrical body member 8 and having itextend slightly to the left of the transverse plate 5 as viewed in FIG.1, a good seal is provided between the seating ring and the valve body,particularly with the various wedging elments around the valve seat, andbecause the gasket 22 is adjacent watercooled metal on both the seatingring and the valve body, it is cooled adequately so that a rubberoussilicone resin may be used. The valve as thus constructed can thereforebe serviced without removing it from the burner. This is important bothfrom the standpoint of reducing down time for a stove if repairs arerequired during an operating campaign, reduces labor and eliminateshazard. The construction is especially advantageous where the valve bodyis fabricated from metal plate.

While I have shown and described a preferred construction, variousmodifications may be made within the contemplation of my invention.

I claim:

1. A valve of the class described comprising (a) a valve body comprisedof two spaced tubular sections in axial alignment providing a passagewaythrough the valve,

(b) an intermediate connecting section having a semicircular lowerportion providing a channel-like recess between the two tubular sectionsand having tangential sides extending upwardly from the semi-circularlower portion and providing an extension providing an enclosed chamberof generally rectangular cross sectional shape with the long axis of therectangular section shape being crosswise of the passage through thevalve,

(c) means forming with each of said tubular sections a water-circulatingpassage around the exterior of each tubular section,

((1) a valve seat ring in the form of a hollow annulus set in saidintermediate section and confronting and bearing against one of saidtubular end sections, with the interior diameter of the annulussubstantially the same as the interior diameter of the tubular section,the lower half of said annulus being received in said channel-likerecess, the size of the annulus being less than the chamber such thatthe annulus may be inserted and removed through said enclosed extension,

(e) wedging elements in the lower portion intermediate section forholding said seat ring against the tubular section which it abuts,

(f) the seat ring having lugs at the top thereof,

(g) a removable wedge frame in said chamber having a lower edge portionwedged behind said lugs for urging the upper part of the seat ringagainst the tubular end section which it abuts, said wedge frameextending parallel with the long dimension across the chamber and havinga wing element at each end projecting therefrom in a direction away fromthe seat ring and bearing against the wall of the chamber in a manner tohold the wedge frame against said lugs,

(h) a bonnet on said extension having a hollow interior forming part ofsaid chamber,

(i) a hollow valve disk in the body movable from a closed positionagainst said seat to an open position in said chamber, the wings on thewedge frame being spaced apart greater than the width of the valve diskto clear the valve disk when it is raised to the open position,

(j) a stem attached to said disk passing up through the bonnet, saidstem having duel passageways therein for circulation of water into andfrom the disk,

(k) inlet and outlet water pipes connected into the lower portion of theseat ring for circulating water therethrough, and

(l) a partition across the interior of the seat ring between the inletand outlet pipes.

2. A valve as defined in claim 1 wherein the seat ring has a wedgeelement at diametrically opposite points thereon midway between the topand bottom thereof and which are on that face of the ring which isremote from the tubular end section against which the ring abuts, thevalve body having diametrically opposite studs mounted thereon againstwhich said wedge elements engage for urging the portion of the seat ringbetween the top and bottom against the tubular section which it abuts.

3. A valve as defined in claim 1 in which the surface of the seat ringwhich bears against said tubular end section has a gasket therein thatseals against said tubular end section.

4. A valve as defined in claim 1 in which the water inlet and outletpipes are slidably guided in the valve body to move up and down with theseat ring when it is moved upwardly out of the valve body or loweredinto position.

5. A valve as defined in claim 1 in which the bonnet has jack screwsthereon passing downwardly therethrough and bearing against the top ofthe wedging frame to force it downwardly.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 769,831 9/1904 Ogden 251-3283,266,517 8/1966 Carr 137-340 FOREIGN PATENTS 915,133 7/1954 Germany.

HENRY T. KLINKSIEK, Primary Examiner.

